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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Turn a whole chicken into a wonderful home rotisserie style chicken, slow roasted, loaded with flavor and as tender as can be!

Mimi's Rotisserie Style Sticky Chicken

There must be a hundred sticky chicken recipes on the internet for how to make a homemade rotisserie chicken, every one different from what I consider to be the original sticky chicken - Mimi's.

Several years back when I had a few extra mouths to feed and was working more than full time, I did the once a month freezer method of cooking. This sticky chicken was one of the most popular chicken recipes back then to make ahead and reserve the meat for casseroles. It's one of the carryovers I have held onto all these years, and that I still love today.

Even this original sticky chicken recipe has taken on a life of its own across the internet as often happens, but it is rarely credited to the original creator of it, Mimi Hiller, who came up with the seasonings and specific method back in the mid-80s. The chicken slow roasts at 250 degrees for 5 hours. Yes, you read that right - 250 degrees. 5 hours. Which seems to frighten the heck out of some people. Ms. Hiller claims that it's safe however stating that "...anything over 225 degrees is safe as long as the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 155 degrees, (which this does, and more) for about 5 hours."

Still, I suppose that I should throw in a disclaimer here about how the federal government a/k/a the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking poultry at oven temperatures of 325 degrees F or higher. So there. I told you. You should therefore proceed with this recipe with that knowledge.

The result of this slow roasting is an incredibly tasty chicken that is both infused with flavor throughout, but is also fall apart tender and juicy, and is somewhat reminiscent of the rotisserie style deli chickens that are so popular these days. I have made this chicken multiple times since those days back then and with absolutely no ill effects and I'm still around, however... if you have concerns about cooking at that low of a temperature, bump up your temperature and adjust the cooking time accordingly. The flavor from the rub will be great ... I just can't vouch for the same exact result. You'll want an internal temperature somewhere around 175/180 degrees, when an instant read thermometer is inserted in the thigh.

If you remember, put this chicken together the night before so that it marinates overnight with the seasoning rub, but I've forgotten and just roasted it immediately after applying the rub with excellent results too. Grab an extra large chicken or do a couple of smaller chickens when you find them on sale and roast them to shred up and freeze for future meals. This rub is so delicious, I'm thinking I might even spatchcock a chicken and try this rub on the ole grill. It'll be a different experience than this, but I cannot imagine it would be anything but delicious.

This is just one of many ways to roast a chicken, but it is one of the best I've ever eaten. Don't limit the spice mixture to only roasted chicken - there are many applications it can be used for. I'm thinking that it'd be a darned good blackening rub even, if I ever venture outside to smoke out my neighbors with a blackened dish out on the grill one evening. Enjoy.

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Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Remove giblets from chicken if it has them. Place the chicken into a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, mix together thoroughly the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, paprika and thyme and rub this mixture all over the inside and outside of the chicken. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight if possible, to marinate. If you did not remember to do this, I've cooked them right away also and it is excellent. If cooking right away, roughly chop the onion and stuff into the cavity of the chicken. If marinating overnight, wait to stuff the onion in the chicken until just before roasting.

Roast uncovered at 250 degrees F for 5 hours. After the first hour passes, begin basting the chicken with the pan juices periodically. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature is between 165 degrees F when an instant read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Slow Cooker Version: Prepare the chicken as above and refrigerate overnight to marinade if desired. Halve 2 small onions and place in the bottom of a 6 quart crockpot along with 6 to 8 whole red potatoes. You may also line bottom of crockpot with balled up aluminum foil instead of the vegetables if you prefer. Place seasoned chicken on top, cover and cook on low for about 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 - actual time will be dependent on size of chicken. Chicken will be done when an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees F. Use a long fish spatula to extract the chicken whole if possible and let rest before carving. Defat the drippings if desired to make a gravy, or cool, transfer to refrigerator and scoop off fat, freezing the remaining broth for another use. Chicken will be very tender that it may fall off the bone, so this method of preparation is not recommended for a presentation pretty chicken.

Disclaimer: The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking poultry at oven temperatures of 325 degrees or higher. You should proceed with this recipe with that knowledge and at your own risk.

To Bake: For larger chickens, 4 to 4-1/2 pounds in size, increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F, prepare as above and bake for about 1-1/2 hours or until juices run clear and an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees when measured at the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone. Let chicken rest 10 to 15 minutes until carving.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

53 comments:

I always use breast on the bone and a frozen veggie mix w/ onions, carrots, and celery. We eat a couple of breast for dinner and I freeze the rest for recipes that call for cooked chicken. It also make a great chicken broth. Couldn't be easier!!!

I just joined Foodblogs and saw this post, I had to stop by. Mimi's Chicken is so tasty. It was the first roasted chicken I ever made and it was so simple. Although I don't think mine looked nearly as tasty as yours.

I really love your blog. You have so many recipes on here I want to try!

I'm making the sticky chicken and your recipe for pound cake for dinner tomorrow. I'm so excited!!! I'm a little worried about the cooking time, though. I bought a 7-8lb chicken and am wondering if I should increase the baking time by a few hours or just keep it at 5 hrs??? Thanks for publishing your recipes. My family loves them!

Hmmm... this recipe is written for a smaller bird & I have never done this low temp with that large of a bird so I would advise an instant read thermometer, or else using a basic roasting recipe at a higher temp. You're gonna have to use temperature as your gauge to make sure that it is done & I don't know how long that will be.

I would suggest since it is so large doing one of my roasting recipes and trying this at another time with a smaller bird. For that size bird to roast at 350 would take about 2 hours, maybe a little longer. Trust in the thermometer though!! You want about 170/175 on the thickest part of the thigh - taking care not to touch the bone with the thermometer.

also, don't forget that Mimi says to put the chickens BREAST SIDE DOWN to cook - it allows all the fats that are in the dark meats on the back of the chicken to melt down through the breast meat making it tender and juicy!

Mine is a variation of the original and I really don't find it necessary to flip the chicken breast side down since it cooks low and slow, but you're right - I should mention that in the post itself. Thanks for the reminder!

I've made this just about every other Saturday now, and can't stop raving about it to others. I have a chicken in the oven now, I'm trying it breast side down this time to see if it's any different based on a previous post. Thanks for putting this out there!

I stumbled across this during a Google search and have been making it just about every other Saturday for the past 2 months. I do cook mine on a rack in a roasting pan so I have to use a little chicken stock to baste with, I have one in the oven right now :) I'm trying it breast side down to see if there's a difference as one of the other comments mentioned. Thanks for putting this out there!

I have made this chicken about 10 times so I am late posting but thank you very much!!! It tastes better than Boson Market with much more flavor and just as tender. My frozen bird is a tad bit dryer than a fresh one but still amazing!! My husband can eat the entire breast portion by himself.

Made this chicken for dinner tonight. Did not use the Cajun seasoning or white pepper as I did not have any and only marinated it for an hour before cooking. The chicken turned out perfect. My family loved it so I will be making this again. Thanks!

That is correct. You're just relying on the juices from the chicken for basting. That said, you could certainly put a little bit in the bottom of the roasting pan, but put the chicken up on a rack or balls of foil so it's not stewing in the juices. You want it to roast, not stew.

Hi there! I made this last night and it was literally falling of the bone, tender. I used your crockpot directions, loved it. I want to give the oven idea a whirl as well soon. I took your advice and shredded it in small chunks to store in food saver bags in the freezer after I snacked on this for minute of course. I bought a food saver last week, kinda pricey but worth it. My only regret, should of done this years ago. Anyway, this was wonderful, I really liked the white pepper idea. Thank for another wonderful recipe. Now back to your eCookbook for more great stuff. Thank you!!!

Hi Talia! Cajun seasoning contains salt plus both black and red pepper so yes, it does add some heat. You can omit it and bump up the other seasonings, or use a little of your favorite seasoning salt instead of the Cajun.

After using this recipe for years, we adapted it, using cut up bone-in thighs. Same ziploc treatment. Put in a pan and cover with foil, bake same 4 hrs. Pull out at the end and put pieces under the broiler to crisp the outside/skin up. Awesome and easy.

Two questions, please: It's impossible hereabouts to find whole chickens this small without paying gourmet prices. Yes, "fryer" size, but I've been looking for a month, to try this, and can only find them "organic" from a farmer @ $8.00/lb, and even then they tend to be 4-5 pounders. Even cut up chicken parts are huge. What can be found whole in supermarkets, reasonably priced, are 5-7 pounders. Grandma would call them "stew pot" older birds. But these are labeled "young." (And "young" as opposed to older, tougher birds was the whole idea behind using this size bird?) A butcher told me the newer breeding/raising techniques are creating bigger birds. Really want to try this, but from comments already written, I hesitate.

Do you think it would really be unsafe to try this with a 6lb bird?- from Raleigh NC (and, yes, lots of commercial chicken growers nearby)

oops, 2nd question: have never heard of Mimi's recipe. But would love to recreate Kenny Rogers' rotisserie chicken. Someone said it was a lemon pepper based rub, and next time he needed a grill, Hubby got a cheap one with a rotisserie feature so we could try it. It was small and those darn big chickens just flopped all around until they fell apart! What a sight! And then the motor quit. since we haven't tasted this yet, do you think subbing part of the spices for lemon pepper would be tasty? trying to figure out whether to sub for cajun spice, black or white peppers.

We have a new Sprouts supermarket nearby, with small chickens. I tried it with one, and this is just marvelous! It's almost like having a rotisserie. I can never again complain that chicken is too much trouble to fix. Start this after lunch, baste it twice, and dinner entree is ready in time for supper. We haven't eaten any yet, was cooking ahead for tomorrow, but youngest just came home from work and snicked a leg, then came back for more. That means its GOOD, because she said she was too tired to eat!

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